The great doors slowly closed.

Chu Xiaolian stepped forward and entered the Lingxiao Pavilion.

A faint scent of sandalwood washed over him, with a calming effect that steadied the mind.

But he could still clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he really was nervous.

Or rather, among Taicang Prefecture’s younger generation, there were very few who could stand before Li Hanguang without feeling nervous.

After all, the other party was a legend!

Even three years ago, when he hadn’t yet suffered qi deviation, Chu Xiaolian’s achievements were still completely incomparable to the man before him.

He understood that very clearly.

* * *

…Inside the pavilion, it was very quiet.

Through the screen, Chu Xiaolian could faintly make out a silhouette.

He sat cross-legged, unmoving as a mountain, and even that blurred back view alone already gave people a sense of towering grandeur.

Seeing this scene, Chu Xiaolian recalled a sentence that had suddenly become popular recently.

At the end of the immortal path, who stands as the peak?

One glimpse of Hanguang, and all Dao comes to nothing!

It was said that this was a heartfelt sigh from some prodigy who had lost beneath Li Hanguang’s sword and been completely convinced.

As for who exactly spread it, no one knew.

Originally, Chu Xiaolian had thought that line was laughable and overly exaggerated.

But now, he had only seen a back view, and that thought had already risen in his heart.

‘No!!! No, that won’t do! Chu Xiaolian, pull yourself together, don’t lose heart! You’re a man who’s going to surp… surpass Li Hanguang!’

That wordless pressure made sweat break out on Chu Xiaolian’s back.

He silently urged himself on, not wanting to stay passive any longer.

“You’re Li Hanguang?”

Staring at the back beyond the screen, Chu Xiaolian finally spoke.

The man behind the screen slowly turned around.

“Come, try the new tea that just arrived.”

As soon as the words fell, Ye Chengying walked out from behind the screen, holding a cup of clear tea, its fragrance overflowing.

Clear Heart, Shatter Delusion Tea!

Chu Xiaolian’s pupils abruptly shrank.

He wasn’t some ignorant bumpkin, and he had followed his father to see a bit of the world before.

Clear Heart, Shatter Delusion Tea was an existence among spiritual teas that could be called top-tier.

Drinking it often could cleanse the mind and spirit, dispel distracting thoughts, and bring immense benefits to cultivation and comprehending the Dao.

The Chu family also kept a small store of Clear Heart, Shatter Delusion Tea.

But whether it was the fragrance, the color, or the taste, it was clearly far inferior to this cup.

Even so, that Clear Heart, Shatter Delusion Tea was still something the Chu family regarded as its foundation and supreme treasure.

They would only take it out to entertain guests when distinguished visitors came.

Yet now, tea even more top-tier than what the Chu family treasured was being casually brought out by Li Hanguang to serve Chu Xiaolian.

Poverty really did limit Chu’s imagination.

“Thank you!”

Though shocked inside, Chu Xiaolian showed no expression.

He took the Clear Heart, Shatter Delusion Tea and lightly sipped.

“I’ve already drunk the tea, so what do you want with me?”

Li Hanguang said calmly, “You want to enter the immortal sect?”

Chu Xiaolian’s expression didn’t change.

“If I say I do, can you decide that?”

From behind the screen, Li Hanguang chuckled softly.

“What do you think ‘immortal fate’ is?”

‘Immortal fate, what was it?’

Chu Xiaolian sipped his tea, thinking for a moment.

He said seriously, “Those whose bone structure, comprehension and perseverance are all upper-grade can obtain immortal fate.”

“Heh heh~”

Laughter sounded from behind the screen.

There was no mockery in it, only a kind of tone that made people unable to help but believe.

Li Hanguang laughed and said, “If one day I become the Immortal Emperor, even the chickens and dogs at home will ascend.”

Chu Xiaolian froze.

‘If one day I become the Immortal Emperor, even the chickens and dogs at home will ascend! If I become the Immortal Emperor? One person attains the Dao, and even the chickens and dogs ascend? What kind of boldness was this, what kind of domineering spirit?’

Chu Xiaolian had always felt that between himself and Li Hanguang, the gap was just birth and background.

But at this moment, he felt the difference.

If nothing else, just his ambition alone was something Chu Xiaolian couldn’t compare to at all.

Since ancient times, cultivators walked alone with difficulty, and even peerless prodigies only dared set their sights on ascending to become immortals.

Yet this senior brother of the Proud Sword Immortal Sect, he actually wanted to become the Immortal Emperor one day!

The Immortal Emperor, the emperor among immortals!

Leaving aside whether it could be done,

Just this heroic spirit alone was enough to make shock and admiration rise in Chu Xiaolian’s heart.

He truly felt inferior.

He took a deep breath.

“My aptitude may not match Brother Li, but compared to chickens and dogs, I believe I still surpass them.”

Li Hanguang smiled.

“Immortal fate is nothing more than seeking immortals and pursuing a bond, follow the right person, and the immortal path will naturally become a triumphant song.”

Chu Xiaolian stared fixedly at the figure behind the screen.

“You want me to follow you?”

Li Hanguang smiled.

“What, is that hard to accept?”

Chu Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, neither agreeing nor refusing.

“Why choose me?”

Li Hanguang said, “If your heart has no ambition to soar to the clouds, how would you dare draw your sword and knock on the immortal gate? Your bone structure and comprehension aren’t bad. You endured everyone’s mockery and shamelessly fought for a chance to enter the immortal sect, your perseverance and temperament can also be considered upper-grade. But none of that is the most important.”

Chu Xiaolian was puzzled.

“Then what’s the most important?”

Li Hanguang’s tone carried a faint smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Very simple, Li is in a good mood today, I find you pleasing to the eye, so I acted on a whim.”

Chu Xiaolian’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Just that simple?”

‘Just because you’re happy today? Because you find me pleasing to the eye?’

Li Hanguang said, “What treatment do you want? Outer sect disciple, inner sect disciple, or a true disciple?”

Outer sect disciple?

Inner sect disciple?

Or a true disciple?

Li Hanguang said it far too casually, making an absurd feeling rise in Chu Xiaolian’s heart.

The Proud Sword Immortal Sect’s disciple grading was famously strict.

One must know that even three years ago, when Chu Xiaolian’s talent was at its strongest, it still required deliberation before he could enter as a true disciple.

But now, when Li Hanguang spoke of a true disciple slot, it was as casual as picking eggs.

He was only a true disciple himself, so why was his tone so grand!

…After thinking for a moment, Chu Xiaolian said, “With my talent, I can be an inner sect disciple.”

From behind the screen came a soft chuckle.

“Too small, your perspective is too small. I’ll give you a true disciple token. Do you dare accept it?”

‘A true disciple token?’

Chu Xiaolian’s brows furrowed slightly.

Although his bone structure had recovered now and he had started cultivating again,

After wasting three years, his cultivation had fallen to the third layer of Qi Refining, and it definitely wasn’t something he could catch up to overnight.

At a time like this, if he accepted the status of a true disciple, it was easy to imagine how huge a stir it would cause within the Proud Sword Immortal Sect.

Countless inner sect disciples would treat him as a thorn in their eyes and flesh!

Chu Xiaolian stared straight at the screen.

“Aren’t you afraid that if I become a true disciple, I’ll threaten your status?”

From behind the screen came a soft chuckle.

“I’m looking forward to that day. Among my peers, I’ve been invincible for too long. Invincibility is actually very empty and very lonely, you wouldn’t understand.”

“???”

After a long while, Chu Xiaolian said calmly, “If you’re not afraid I’ll steal your limelight, then why would I not dare become a true disciple?”

“Very good!”

A silver-white token flew out from behind the screen.

Li Hanguang laughed and said, “I know about you, you were just dumped from your engagement not long ago, right! That is nothing. A phoenix rises from nirvana, bathed in fire and reborn, swallow a golden core into your belly, point your sword at Yaochi and cut down Yuehua. I’m looking forward to the day you storm Yaochi Holy Land, wash away your shame, and rise to fame.”

Chu Xiaolian frowned slightly.

“Why are you looking forward to it?”

The man behind the screen sounded as though his voice was moving farther and farther away.

“Because only when that day comes will you barely qualify to follow me!”